You know how you can sometimes feel like you know everything you need to know about a show just from hanging out on Tumblr? That’s how I feel about Freaks and Geeks.

I can’t even begin to list off all of the different gifs, memes, and photos I’ve seen on my Tumblr dashboard that relate to Freaks and Geeks. At this point, even though I’ve never seen a single episode of the show, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what it’s about.

I mean, after all, Tumblr knows all, so learning about movies and shows through Tumblr is like learning from the ultimate pop culture guru. I may not have followed through on watching Doctor Who and confirming my Tumblr knowledge on that show (yet). But, since I’m on this round of Hypable’s ReWatchable podcast on Freaks and Geeks, I thought I’d write all of my Tumblr knowledge down beforehand so that I can come back to this at the end of the ReWatchable cycle and see just how right I am!

Everything I know about ‘Freaks and Geeks’

What I think it’s about

They’re just a bunch of awkward high school kids.

I think Freaks and Geeks is, at its core, a show about the difficulties and good parts of growing up. Seeing as it follows a group (or two) of friends, I think it’s all about leaning on each other, through the good times and the bad, and just figuring out your next steps. Because it’s easier to relate to awkward kids rather than popular cheerleaders and jocks, the show really focuses on the challenges kids on the outskirts of popularity face.

Since it’s a coming of age story (or so I assume), which means I expect that each episode covers a single issue: smoking, drinking, sex, dating, breakups… You know, the usual suspects. In other words, Freaks and Geeks was kind of like the original One Tree Hill. Am I right, or am I right? I mean, just look at the two pictures below and tell me they don’t look similar.

There are two groups of friends that the show follows, the older kids and the younger kids.

I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say that the older girl with the dark brown hair is the sister of John Francis Daley and that’s how the two groups are connected. Otherwise, I can’t see the groups overlapping much. The older crowd looks much more grunge and the younger crowd looks much more like Anthony Michael Hall’s friends in Sixteen Candles.

OOOOH! An idea just came to me: Maybe the older kids are the “freaks” and the younger kids are the “geeks.” I totally nailed it, didn’t I?

Alternate theory: The show follows two friend groups, one in the 1970s and one in the 1980s.

Okay, so I wouldn’t normally entertain a notion like this but the clothes and the backgrounds for the two friend groups are just so different. The younger kids look like they’re rejects from That 70’s Show and the older kids look like “normal” kids from the 80’s (not that I would really know what “normal” 80’s kids look like considering I was born in 1990).

I’m thinking that if the two dark-haired characters aren’t brother and sister, then this is the next most logical show structure. After all, following two groups of kids over two different decades would be interesting. Since people herald this show as relatable, it would make sense to me that it would show kids from two different decades going through the same things and facing the same pressures that we did growing up.

The amount of hair a character has relates to how ‘cool’ they are.

I mean, obviously the ladies are the coolest, right? That’s why their hair is so long? But seriously. From looking at the pictures, it seems like the characters that are supposed to be the most well-liked (or so I’m assuming because they’re played by actors who are now household names) have pretty sick flows. I’m looking at you, Seth Rogan, James Franco, and John Francis Daley! The pictures I see always show these guys as having a bit of swag, so I can only assume that their hair gives them status.

The girls are considered ‘freaks’ because of the amount of flannel they wear on a daily basis.

I have absolutely nothing against flannel, but I have a feeling that Freaks and Geeks does. It kind of feels like the images of the show give off a sort of She’s All That “she’s cool underneath it all” vibe when it comes to the girls. Also, from what I can gather, the show doesn’t take place in the ’90s but the dark-haired girl is rocking the grunge look pretty hard, so maybe that makes her the original hipster? Anyway, I just always see photos of the girls wearing plaid which I guess designates their status (although I’m totally pro-plaid and don’t understand why others aren’t).

Continue on to the next page to read more about how scary accurate my Freaks and Geeks Tumblr knowledge is!

The high school is known for its emphasis on physical fitness.

Whereas other schools pride themselves on their arts and music or STEM program (like my old high school), this school’s main emphasis is physical fitness. After all, what other reason would there be for the crazy amount of P.E. uniform/gym class photos from this show that I’ve scrolled past on my dash? Even in Lizzie McGuire (where Lizzie loathed gym) there are not as many P.E. scenes as there seem to be in this one season show. It would also explain why all the characters are thin and kind of lanky. Maybe their middle school is all about running and then, in high school, they hit the weights?

James Franco was a normal amount of weird.

I mean, he was on this show, so had to have had some sort of quality by this point to be considered a “freak” or a “geek.” However, he wasn’t so much so yet where he was making the front pages of newspapers and websites. That, and it seems like, from the photos I’ve seen, James Franco is kind of the cool kid/ladies man of the group. So I feel like this is the only logical conclusion, right? Plus, he had to have been sort of weird to be able to pull off that weirdly wide and forced smile that I constantly see on my dashboard.

John Francis Daley is one sassy kid.

Before he was one of the highlights of and killed off of Bones, John Francis Daley was one sassy boy who was just not having any of anyone’s shenanigans. Whenever someone wants to be sassy on Tumblr, chances are that they use a Freaks and Geeks still of John Francis Daley and his cute curly hair. So, I’m assuming that his sass and potentially witty one-liners or insightful quips are what he’s known for. And if that’s not the case, then I’m at least sure that he and his sassy mug is the poster child for the show.

‘Freaks and Geeks’ is the voice of a generation and was cancelled too soon.

I feel like this is pretty much a gimme, but, from what I can tell, everyone who has watched Freaks and Geeks has complained about how it was cancelled too soon. About how great and true to life it is. How relatable the characters are. You know what else I’ve heard that said about? Veronica Mars. Heck, I’m one of the people who is shouting that off of the rooftops (not the one at the end of season two though). So, from what I can tell, Freaks and Geeks is a really well-done TV show that was given the axe too soon. I’m sure I’ll feel the same way after I watch it for the first time with ReWatchable.

John Francis Daley brought straight-across bangs back in style.

You’re welcome, Zooey Deschanel. Not that I ever think that straight-across bangs (or any bangs) have ever gone out of style (I’ve had them since I could walk), but there are quite a few pictures of John Francis Daley floating around Tumblr where he has the most perfect bangs.

So, how did I do?

I totally nailed it, right? I know that there’s a lot to love and discuss about Freaks and Geeks, but I feel like the story itself is pretty straightforward (even if it may include a bit of time-hopping). Regardless of how accurate my points are, I’m really excited to start watching Freaks and Geeks with my ReWatchable crew. If you love or are interested in the show, please join us!

Also, feel free to tell me how right I am in the comment section below as well. Just no spoilers, please and thank you!